The Al Franken Podcast

4.6 (8K)
POLITICS
UPDATED WEEKLY

A five-time Emmy winning SNL comedy writer/producer, joins a four-time #1 NYT bestselling author, a three-time highest-rated national progressive radio host, a two-time Grammy winning artist, and a former US Senator. So, it gets a little crowded in the booth when Al talks public policy and sometimes political comedy with notable guests. Think “The Daily” without the resources of the NYTimes.

5D AGO

Mark Leibovich on Hegseth, Trump, & More!

We're joined by the great Mark Leibovich from The Atlantic to run through some of the wild stories fresh out of Washington. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth is facing criticisms on multiple fronts: Not only was it reported that he ordered the killing of two survivors from a bombed alleged drug trafficking boat, a Pentagon Inspector General also found that he put American troops' lives in danger with his reckless messages on Signal. Could we see Trump turn on Hegseth? We also recap the marathon Cabinet meeting. Secretary of State Marco Rubio spent his time kissing Trump's ass, and Trump (when he was awake) broke out into an maliciously racist rant about Somalis. Plus, we talk MORE shady pardons (including the former Honduran President and convicted drug trafficker), Trump's sinking approval ratings, and Dick Cheney! READ Mark's writing in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/mark-leibovich/ Protect yourself and your family from cybercrime this holiday season with 75% off from our sponsor Webroot! https://www.webroot.com/franken Visit our sponsor OneSkin for all of your skincare needs! Use the code FRANKEN at checkout to get 15% off of your order: https://www.oneskin.co/FRANKEN Get 10% off your first order from Graza Olive Oil. Use the code FRANKEN at checkout: https://partners.graza.co/FRANKEN Visit our sponsor Ghostbed and get 25% off of your purchase. Use the code FRANKEN at checkout: https://www.ghostbed.com/Franken

56 min
NOV 30

David Kirkpatrick on Trump’s Immense and Shameless Profiteering

One of Donald Trump's most successful initiatives in his second term has been making himself and his family richer than ever. We're joined by The New Yorker’s David Kirkpatrick, who earlier this year wrote a piece outlining all the ways the legendary grifters have cashed in during Trump’s presidency. The Trump family has long been associated with shameless cash grabs, but we have reached new levels of corruption by using his office for their money-making schemes: international real estate deals, Trump-branded merchandise, and cryptocurrency. David lays out the long list of ethical implications involved and calculates the staggering amount of money Donald Trump and his family have made off of his presidency. READ David's piece “The Number” in The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2025/08/18/the-number Protect yourself and your family from cybercrime this holiday season with our newest sponsor, Webroot! Use code FRANKEN at checkout: https://www.webroot.com/franken Get free shipping and 365-day returns on wardrobe shopping with our sponsor, Quince! Use code FRANKEN at checkout! https://www.quince.com/franken Visit our sponsor OneSkin for all of your skincare needs! Use code FRANKEN at checkout to get 15% off of your order: https://www.oneskin.co/FRANKEN

55 min
NOV 23

Lawyer Liz Oyer on Trump’s Corrupt Pardons

In Donald Trump's second term, we've seen a flurry of pardons and commutations. Of course, every President is granted the pardon power, but with this administration, pardons often seem to have a price tag. We're joined by Liz Oyer, former US pardon attorney (appointed by Biden and fired by Trump), to discuss some of the shadier pardons doled out during Trump's second term (so far). Oyer lays out how several of Trump’s pardons are motivated by money, loyalty, and retribution. Of course, we discuss the blanket pardon of the January 6th rioters, but we also examine the pardon of cryptocurrency-crook Changpeng Zhao, who Oyer says "might be the most corrupt pardon in American history." We dig into Trump's current pardon attorney, Ed Martin, a political operative who believes in "No MAGA left behind." Even Republicans found him too extreme to be a US Attorney, so Trump put him in charge of pardons and commutations. Plus, we get Oyer's unfiltered opinion of the Ghislane Maxwell/Jeffrey Epstein saga AND Hunter Biden's pardon at the end of Joe Biden's term. READ Liz Oyer's Substack at https://www.lawyeroyer.com/ Check out our sponsor Ollie for premium dog food! Go to https://www.ollie.com/franken and use code FRANKEN to get 60% off your first box. Check out our sponsor OneSkin for all of your skincare needs! Go to https://www.oneskin.co/FRANKEN and use code FRANKEN to get 15% off of your order.

52 min
NOV 16

Catherine Rampell on The End of The Shutdown

After 43 days, the longest government shutdown in American history has finally ended. We're joined by Catherine Rampell from The Bulwark and MSNBC to talk about how it finally came to a close and why a lot of Democrats are mad at their party. Catherine details how the Trump administration used the shutdown as an excuse to inflict as much pain as possible on SNAP recipients. Not only did the administration go to court to stop SNAP payments, they also punished any stores that might have tried to help them with discounts. As always, the cruelty is the point. Trump’s promise to fix the economy was one of the biggest reasons he was re-elected, but prices are higher on nearly everything around the country. Trump's approach is to lie about affordability while Americans struggle with economic anxiety. All the while, he's flopping around on his tariff policies, creating more and more chaos and confusion. Plus, the average age of first time homebuyers is now 40 years old and the Trump administration has floated the idea of a 50-year mortgage plan. Catherine explains why that could be disastrous for would-be homeowners. READ Catherine in The Bulwark: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/how-the-supreme-court-could-save-christmas-trump-tariffs WATCH Catherine on MSNBC's The Weekend Primetime: https://www.msnbc.com/weekend-primetime Get 10% off your first order from Graza Olive Oil. Use the code FRANKEN at checkout: https://partners.graza.co/FRANKEN Check out our newest sponsor Ghostbed and get 25% off of your purchase. Use the code FRANKEN at checkout: www.ghostbed.com/Franken

48 min
NOV 9

Molly Jong-Fast on The 2025 Elections!

The Democratic Party showed signs of life all around the country with last week's off-season elections. Helping us make sense of it all is Molly Jong-Fast, opinion writer for The New York Times and host of the Fast Politics podcast! Molly examines NYC's new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, and why his campaign was so successful. Can he actually deliver on the promises he's made in the campaign? Molly shares her thoughts on some lessons Democrats nationwide could learn from his win. All of this is going on during the longest-ever government shutdown with a President holding a "Great Gatsby”-themed party at Mar-a-Lago while the economy struggles and Trump continues his tariff wars. Plus, Molly gives her perspective on the redistricting battles around the country, the nationwide ICE raids, Trump corruption, and more! LISTEN to Molly's podcast “Fast Politics”: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fast-politics-with-molly-jong-fast/id1645614328 READ Molly’s latest piece in The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/03/opinion/trumps-great-gatsby-party-did-not-accept-snap.html

39 min
NOV 2

Political Reporter David Weigel on The Shutdown

We are approaching the longest government shutdown in American history with no end in sight. But it seems like this is exactly what the Trump administration wants. How much longer can this go on? We are joined by David Weigel from Semafor to discuss the damage of the shutdown and how the White House believes it's winning this fight. Weigel examines how the Trump administration seems to be disconnected from reality over the state of the economy despite concerns over tariffs, the cost of living, and, of course, the $300-million ballroom Trump is building after demolishing the East Wing of the White House. Plus, with 70% of Americans believing that the Democrats are out of touch, how does the party fix their broken image? Could a change in leadership be the answer Americans are looking for? READ David Weigel in Semafor: https://www.semafor.com/author/david-weigel

47 min
OCT 26

Harry Litman on Important Legal Stuff.

Every day brings a new constitutional crisis. Donald Trump isn't just breaking norms... he's weaponizing the entire justice system against anyone who dare cross him. We're joined by former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman to cut through the chaos and explain what the hell is happening. Trump promised that he would bring "retribution" to his second term - turns he wasn’t lying. So far he’s gone after James Comey, Letitia James, John Bolton. Harry breaks down why these prosecutions represent "rock bottom, ninth circle of hell" for the Justice Department—and why they're likely unconstitutional. Harry also discusses Trump sending the National Guard into (Democratic-led) cities despite their objections. Is that legal? Some courts say yes, some say no. Now it's at the Supreme Court, which has already enabled Trump's overreach at every turn. Harry tells us why this is the single most dangerous thing happening right now. We also delve into the complexities of Louisiana v. Callais, the Voting Rights Act case before the Supreme Court which could eliminate Section II and allow for the elimination of majority-minority districts (we’ll explain this!), likely imperiling 15 House seats now held by Democrats. Plus, it turns out that it's easier than anyone thought to demolish the East Wing of the White House! At least we're getting a new ballroom.... Harry walks us through why this unprecedented destruction is probably illegal, but so outrageous that no legal framework even exists to stop it. LISTEN to Harry's podcast, Talking Feds: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/talking-feds/id1456045551 READ Harry's Substack: https://harrylitman.substack.com/ USE Promo Code FRANKEN for 10% off of your first Graza olive oil order! https://partners.graza.co/FRANKEN

50 min
OCT 19

John Fugelsang on Jesus’s ACTUAL Politics

Donald Trump and the Republican Party have the backing of Evangelicals and fundamentalist Christians. But if you read the Bible or listen to the teachings of Jesus Christ, it would be clear that their policies are anything but Christ-like. We're joined by comedian, radio host, and NYT bestselling author John Fugelsang to discuss his new book, “Separation of Church and Hate.” Fugelsang shares his unique perspective as a Christian who was raised by a former nun and a Franciscan Brother. He shows the disconnect between what far-right Christians claim Jesus taught versus what he actually said in the Bible. Jesus promoted peace, love, compassion, and mercy... None of which are evident in today's Republican Party. We also break down many social issues that right-wing Christians use their faith to justify. Jesus advocated against the death penalty, provided for the poor, and never once said that homosexuality is a sin. Not to mention abortion, which was weaponized in the 1980s to consolidate power under Ronald Reagan. We hope this interview can help you engage with right-wing Christians in a civil way by pointing to actual scripture, which might help them see the contradictions and lies that their party embraces. READ John's bestselling book: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Separation-of-Church-and-Hate/John-Fugelsang/9781668066898 LISTEN to The John Fugelsang Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-john-fugelsang-podcast/id1464094232

45 min

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Al Franken

Host
Molly Jong-Fast

Guest
Norm Ornstein

Guest
Randi Weingarten

Guest
Frank Foer

Guest
Jonathan Alter

Guest

4.6

out of 5

7,955 Ratings

Trump

Nov 30

innovation Toni

Hi Al, My Sunday is Not complete without your podcast. I have enjoyed most of your podcasts except today with David Kirkpatrick. There were moments where he didn’t entirely believe Trump’s grift and favors. He making $ hand over fist, the reason he wanted to be President not serving the American people. Thanks and keep up the good work.
Thank you

Oct 26

Lutabuta

I loved hearing Larry review the main legal issues pressing us up against the glass. We are all holding our breath!
Your Guests

Nov 2

Ruthie1818

I like listening to your analysis & perspective Mr Franken; however, I absolutely can’t stand listening to or reading anything Racist David Hogg or Sexist David Weigel have to say! One was suspended from WaPo when it was good for reposting sexist anti feminist content and one was fired from their DNC job for trying to primary black duly elected Democrats! Their unbelievable intrinsic biases negate anything they print or say. Maybe, enough with the Davids for now.
Baltimore Mayor

Sep 14

Cindyjoy68

Great fricking show

A five-time Emmy winning SNL comedy writer/producer, joins a four-time #1 NYT bestselling author, a three-time highest-rated national progressive radio host, a two-time Grammy winning artist, and a former US Senator. So, it gets a little crowded in the booth when Al talks public policy and sometimes political comedy with notable guests. Think “The Daily” without the resources of the NYTimes.